Fabian O'Dea

The Honourable Fabian Aloysius O'Dea
4th Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland
In office March 1, 1963 – April 2, 1969
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governors General	George Vanier Roland Michener
Premier	Joey Smallwood
Preceded by	Campbell Macpherson
Succeeded by	Ewart John Arlington Harnum
Personal details
Born	(1918-01-20)January 20, 1918 St. John's, Dominion of Newfoundland
Died	December 12, 2004(2004-12-12) (aged 86) St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Nationality	Newfoundlander (until confederation), Canadian
Spouse	Constance Margaret Ewing (1950

Fabian Aloysius O'Dea, QC (January 20, 1918 – December 12, 2004) was a Newfoundland and Canadian lawyer and the fourth lieutenant governor of Newfoundland.

Family

He was the son of John V. O'Dea and May (Coady) O'Dea. In 1950, O'Dea married Constance Margaret (Peggy) Ewing. They had four children; Deborah (1951), Victoria (Viki) (1953), Stephen (1954) and Jane (1956).^{[citation needed]}

Life and career

Born in St. John's, O'Dea was educated at St. Bonaventure's College, Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), University of Toronto, Dalhousie University and Christ Church, Oxford.

In 1939, he was selected Rhodes Scholar for Newfoundland, but delayed going to Oxford in order to join the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve, where he served as torpedo officer.

In 1945, when he retired from the reserve he attended Oxford for a BCL degree and was admitted to the English Bar at the Inner Temple in 1948.

In 1949, O'Dea was made honorary aide-de-camp to the Governor General of Canada. From 1949 to 1961 he was aide-de-camp to the Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. In 1963 O'Dea became Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador and a QC.

O'Dea was a member of the Board of Regents for MUN, Vice-President for Newfoundland at the Canadian Bar Association and a member of the Canadian Rhodes Scholarship selection committee. Fabian O'Dea was also a collector of sixteenth to eighteenth century maps of Newfoundland and Labrador.

John R. O'Dea was the brother of Fabian O'Dea.^[1] Brian O'Dea was Fabian O'Dea's nephew.^[2]

Awards and honours

O'Dea's awards include:^[3]

• 1963 Knight of Grace of St. John of Jerusalem
• 1969 LL.D by Memorial University of Newfoundland
• 1988 Knight of Malta
• 1990 Knight of Justice of St. John of Jerusalem

Coat of arms of Fabian O'Dea

Notes Recorded at the College of Arms on 1 June 1967. Crest A caribou statant erect Proper holding in its mouth a trefoil Vert and supporting between the forelegs a fasces palewise Or. Escutcheon Vert on a fess wavy Argent between in chief a fouled anchor surmounted by a balance and in base a sun rising Or two barrulets wavy Vert. Motto Constans (Steadfast)[4]

References

1. O'Dea, Brian (2006). High: Confessions of an International Drug Smuggler. Toronto, Canada: Random House Canada. pp. 291, 326, 358. ISBN 978-1-59051-331-6 – via Google Books.
2. O'Dea, p. 38.
3. Poole, Cyril F.; Cuff, Robert, eds. (1993). Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador. Vol. 4. St. John's, Canada: Harry Cuff Publications Ltd. pp. 151–152 – via Memorial University of Newfoundland Digital Archives Initiative.
4. "Fabian O'Dea". Canadian Heraldic Authority. Retrieved 1 September 2024.

External links

• Biography at Government House The Governorship of Newfoundland and Labrador